OPSB approves construction of transmission line in Clermont County

Columbus, Ohio (Nov. 28, 2011) – The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) today authorized the city of Hamilton and American Municipal Power (AMP) to construct a 2.2-mile long 138-kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line in Clermont County. The new transmission line will connect the 105-megawatt Meldahl hydroelectric facility that is under construction in Bracken County, Kentucky to the existing 345-kV Zimmer-Spurlock transmission line in Ohio.

The Meldahl transmission line will provide southwest Ohio with additional low-cost power from a renewable resource and enhance service reliability for the region’s municipal electric customers. The project will include a supporting substation where the new line interconnects with the Zimmer-Spurlock line. AMP and Hamilton plan to begin construction in 2012 and enter the line and substation into service by June 2013.

On May 4, 2011, AMP and Hamilton filed applications for certificates of environmental compatibility and public need to construct the Meldahl transmission line and the associated substation. On Sept. 28, 2011, following review of the application, OPSB staff filed a report recommending that the Board authorize construction of the transmission line and substation along the applicants’ preferred route. At a local public hearing held in Felicity, Ohio on Oct. 13, 2011, five witnesses testified about the project.

On Nov. 1, 2011, AMP, Hamilton, and the OPSB staff filed an agreement that settled concerns raised in the proceeding. The agreement, approved by the Board today, authorizes construction of the transmission line and substation along the preferred route subject to 50 conditions that the company must meet to remediate the environmental and social impacts of the project.

The OPSB reviews applications for construction of large electric and natural gas facilities in Ohio. The 11-member board is comprised of representatives of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the state departments of Development, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Health, the Ohio General Assembly, and the public.

Additional information regarding the Meldahl electric transmission line project is available on the OPSB website at www.OPSB.ohio.gov.